Are you 27 and single? According to China, you're a leftover

Single ladies, don't give a shit about who says what. Photo Courtesy: Youtube

If you happen to visit the website of the All-China Women's Federation, you will come across a couple of peculiar, or should we say derogatory topics ranging from--"Eight Simple Moves to Escape the Leftover Women Trap" to "Do Leftover Women Really Deserve Our Sympathy?"

If you're wondering why we're so offended, here's what you need to know: The word "leftover" which has so conveniently been used as an adjective for women, actually refers to unmarried women over the age of 27. They call it sheng nu in Chinese.

Ironically, the term has been coined by the All-China Women's Federation, which by the way calls itself a feminist agency that aims to protect women's rights and interests. And these deluded set of people are whole-heartedly supported by the even more deluded ones. The Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, calls it a "failure to find a husband due to overly high expectations for marriage partners".

In fact, in their column published on International Women's day in 2011, they decided to pay homage to their women by blatantly stating that, "Pretty girls don't need a lot of education to marry into a rich and powerful family, but girls with an average or ugly appearance will find it difficult. These kinds of girls hope to further their education in order to increase their competitiveness. The tragedy is, they don't realize that as women age, they are worth less and less, so by the time they get their M.A. or Ph.D., they are already old, like yellowed pearls."

Oh, and if this wasn't enough to literally boil your blood already, they have the audacity to repost these column over and over again, the same ones that say, "Many highly educated 'leftover women' are very progressive in their thinking and enjoy going to nightclubs to search for a one-night stand, or they become the mistress of a high official or rich man. It is only when they have lost their youth and are kicked out by the man that they decide to look for a life partner. Therefore, most 'leftover women' do not deserve our sympathy. "

It is appalling to know that a progressive country like China endorses such ideals. However, being the strong women that we are, we just have one thing to say here: We will do as we please, because you know what? Our lives, our rules.

So as Beyonce says, all the single ladies, put your hands up. But this time around, to show a middle finger to the assholes who come up with such ideas. Because no matter who says what, we'll continue doing our own thing.